No we don’t. No country in the world needs more government regulation. If they start regulating social media too much we might get hit from behind sooner than we know it.

I agree with you. I’m more of a libertarian myself and definitely believe the government should stay the hell out of people’s lives. But I also recognize that sometimes, big corporations can be more powerful than even governments if left unchecked and function as a quasi-government. We already see this with Facebook being able to regulate speech and to some extent begin to monopolize all Internet commerce and traffic.

For the reason, I think you have to ask why is it bad for governments to have more control and regulation, because with increased regulation, you stifle individual liberty for the “good of the collective”.

At this point, Facebook, in my opinion, is crushing individual liberty for all people everywhere, and if not stopped, will become more powerful than all governments combined.

Grummel1:

If they start regulating social media too much we might get hit from behind sooner than we know it.

True. But with the way things are going now, we could get hit any day now and we’re all out of business.

Grummel1:

The guy doesn’t have any power anyways so what he is saying has no affect.

If the conversation becomes loud enough, people will expect more out of their politicians. In the US, I am personally excited that this may for once be an issue that brings everyone together - both liberals and conservatives as the likes of Elizabeth Warren and Ted Cruz have been openly talking of breaking up Facebook for awhile.

I see where you are coming from. But you have to see that there is a reason for Facebook becoming this big. They provide something of immense value which so many people use that they grew this big.

intothenight:

Facebook being able to regulate speech

Noone should regulate that unless it incites violence.

But honestly, who am I to say. I’m not an expert on how Facebook operates, noone knows. Maybe breaking it up is a good idea, maybe not. But free markets = the right to purchase other businesses and grow as big as you can. We could all stop using FB today and crush them, but we are still using it because it’s the best option.

But definitely love these discussions Feel free to come back with your thoughts!

But free markets = the right to purchase other businesses and grow as big as you can.

I absolutely agree with you and am mindful of the impact it can have on discouraging other entrepreneurs that potentially want to create something big as well.

I also think that in order for there to be a free market, there should also be a healthy amount of competition. I don’t think that government should regulate business practices or tell businesses how to operate but it should ensure that the market is at least diverse and competitive.

By the same logic, governments should be free to grow as big as they can too. However, when this happens, it leads to totalitarian regimes when there is no room for anyone else to hold regimes accountable. I think the same is true for companies. Facebook is monopolizing all of digital advertising, speech, and even our minds. There should be space to ensure that people do have alternative options for their social media.

Grummel1:

We could all stop using FB today and crush them, but we are still using it because it’s the best option.

Hey, I’m all for this. I would love to partner with folks here on developing another platform if that’s possible!

I know nobody likes him but imagine you are Zuck - so it’s “your buisness”. From that standpoint I am for “free market economy” and against regulations. Even more because it is, as already stated, no real monopoly.

google with alphabet, facebook, amazon they are not stupid. If they are keeping everything together there must be a reason. The reason could be mostly financial, taxes, stock values, benefits also being a big company instead of multiple small ones gives you more power and market share.

IMO It’s not Facebook specifically but a single organization that holds so much data together with an immense amount of compute power and AI capabilities, be it Google or Facebook it doesn’t matter.
This situation will escalate in the following years and it’s consequences are yet to be known